Going in search of the reason why “up-side down” takes on It's a Wonderful Life have eclipsed traditional ones in recent years, this episode quickly becomes a history lesson about the U.S. government’s attack on the movie’s writers, and an examination of the state of heroes and villains today. What does this phenomenon tell us about the nature of how our culture has changed? We’ll look at the first to gain widespread attention, a Salon co-founder’s 9/11 era defense of Pottersville – the runaway capitalist reality where George Bailey was never born – and then the most popular, a New York Times reporter’s 2008 financial crisis tinged effort to prove George would have been prosecuted and his leadership ultimately ruined Bedford Falls. Then, we go way back, to the surprising first critics of the movie, J. Edgar Hoover and Ayn Rand. And we learn Jimmy Stewart’s daughter's take on what real heroism means, with implications for MAGA. SaveGeorgeBailey.com
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